Julio Osorio stands in the Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery near his mother's grave. (Emily Elena Dugdale/KPCC); Credit: Emily Elena Dugdale

The devastating Woolsey fire broke out one year ago. In Malibu, it wreaked havoc not only on hundreds of homeowners but also on the day laborers, housekeepers and gardeners who traveled to the city to work in its affluent neighborhoods.

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Wildfires in the Mediterranean region are a significant threat to human life and the natural environment and cause considerable economic damages. Recent research from Italy suggests that different types of land cover influence the timing of wildfires throughout the year and this knowledge can be used to improve fire risk assessment and prevention strategies.

Soil erosion after wildfire can be substantially reduced by using a combination of sowing grass seeds and protecting the soil with a layer of straw, a Spanish study suggests. The authors of the research found that, although seeding alone made little difference, the combination of straw mulch and seeding reduced soil erosion by 93%.

A recent study has evaluated the economic and environmental merits of different designs of coal-fired power plants, all with carbon capture and storage (CCS), to replace an old power station in Germany. An integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant with pre-combustion CO2 capture was found to offer the best profit for plant operators and significantly lower the life cycle emissions of CO2.

Wildfires could release up to nine times more stored carbon from drained peatland at high latitudes than from untouched peatland in the same region, according to a recent study. As climate change is expected to both dry out peatland and increase the frequency of wildfires, the results have serious implications for the role of northern peatlands as carbon sinks or sources.

Satellite observations are valuable aids to detect and monitor fire activity. A recent study has investigated how satellite images of fire activity, together with information on vegetation cover and fire risk associated with long and short-term atmospheric conditions could be used to help authorities better manage the risk of wildfires in Mediterranean Europe.

Reducing forest fire risk within a tight budget can be successfully achieved, according to researchers. The study simulated the economic and fire risk effects of five management plans and found that a combination of removing low level trees and selective positioning of woodland produced the most economic and least destructive results

Inhaling smoke from forest, grass and peat fires causes about 340,000 premature deaths worldwide every year, according to new research. Reducing the number and extent of human-induced landscape fires could significantly improve air quality, mitigate climate change and reduce the rate of biodiversity loss, say scientists.

A recent study has found that fire regimes have changed in Spain over the past 42 years. The pattern of changes has affected the number of fires and burned area, reflecting a changing climate and environmental conditions, such as land use changes caused by a population shift from rural to urban areas, and modern fire suppression activities.

Fire frequency is changing globally, yet it is unclear how such changes affect soil carbon and nitrogen storage, and, in turn, impact on ecosystem productivity. A study was conducted to evaluate how increased fire frequency drives changes in soil carbon and nitrogen over multiple decades. Data from 48 sites that have experienced altered fire frequency were analysed, spanning up to 65 years. The meta-analysis found that frequently burned sites experienced a significant decline in surface soil carbon and nitrogen over time — on average having 36% less carbon and 38% less nitrogen, after 64 years, than sites that were protected from fire. The researchers also observed comparable changes in an independent field dataset and in dynamic model simulations of global vegetation. The results indicate that future changes in fire frequency may lead to long-term changes in the amount of carbon and nitrogen stored in soils, especially in savanna grasslands and broadleaf forests. This has implications for the global carbon cycle and for ecosystem productivity and should, therefore, be considered in the design and implementation of relevant policy instruments.

Forest root systems increase soil strength and stability, thus protecting mountainous regions against gravitational natural hazards, such as landslides. However, tree roots are affected by factors such as soil properties, climate and disturbances, such as timber-harvesting or wildfire — and, as a result, a forest’s stabilising effect can vary greatly. This study of fire-disturbed beech forests explores how this effect changes over time. The results reveal that forests which have suffered moderate and severe wildfires completely lose their protective function within 15 years, placing those regions at high risk of landslide for up to 50 years after the fires.

Controlled fires could help the regeneration capacity of some insects in regions of intensively managed forests, according to a recent study of Finnish forests that are part of an EU LIFE restoration project. Results indicated that fire can be an effective conservation measure but its impact depends on the region???s history and context.

Wildfires are projected to become an increasingly common occurrence and are a major driver of habitat disturbance, yet little research to date has examined how the relationship between fire and landscape attributes affects large carnivores, such as the grey wolf (Canis lupus). The results of this study suggest that wolves are remarkably resilient to fire, persisting and breeding in a human-dominated landscape even under intensive fire regimes. However, burnt landscapes may induce higher exposure to human disturbance and persecution due to limited refuge conditions.

Moss helps prevent soil erosion on fire-damaged land, a Portuguese study suggests. The researchers analysed water that ran off from post-fire hillsides. They found less sediment and organic matter in run-off from patches of land with high levels of moss than from those with low levels of moss. Moss quickly establishes itself on land after fires, so the study suggests that land managers could take advantage of its restorative effects by deliberately encouraging its growth.

Researchers have developed new tools to screen previously untested fire-retardant chemicals for potential toxicity. The tools – known as Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) models – could allow regulatory decisions to be made in the absence of experimental data, saving time and money by prioritising risk assessments for the most hazardous substances.

New research has recorded high levels of airborne aerosol black carbon (BC) in Lithuania during two periods in 2008 and 2009. Further investigation indicated this is from smoke produced by wildfires in Ukraine and southwest Russia, which then travels northwards.

Fires in forests contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear accident could lead to areas of Europe and Russia being exposed to further radioactive fallout, new research has found. The study examined the spread of the fallout and the health effects on people and animals under three different scenarios: 10, 50 and 100% of the forests being burnt.

A horse near the East Fire in California runs back into danger to save its family.

A compromise in Washington state may be the example for the rest of the country to follow when it comes to cleaning up our energy sources.

While the Camp Fire rages over 100 miles away in the Sierra Nevada foothills, San Francisco experiences an air pollution emergency.

The wildfire in the Florida Everglades has spread to 32,000 acres, and officials are using all the resources they can to contain it.

A videographer captures eerie footage of Colorado's High Park Fire, one of several blazes now raging in the dry, windy, beetle-infested U.S. West.

Who knew a sandwich bag and some water could make a biconvex lens and start a fire?

Fire lookout towers found in numerous national forests have been converted into campsites-in-the-sky.

There are several different ways to start a campfire, depending on wind and what resources you have on hand.

Watch the fire spin and swirl as its driven up towards the heavens by an array of well-placed box fans to the soothing tune of 'Moonlight Sonata.'

Dozens of cities throughout the country have either banned or limited fireworks displays due to the threat of heavy pollution.

PVC puts out a lot of nasty stuff when it burns, and it's probably still in the soot.

Carefully managed fire is used as a tool to protect wildlands from invasive plants and other threats.

A wet and rainy winter after a wildfire year could give California a beautiful super bloom.

Animals at Australia's Mogo Zoo were saved from wildfires by savvy staff.

Humane Society International is building temporary wildlife shelters for animals affected by the Australian bushfires on Kangaroo Island.

U.S. startup DroneSeed merges technology and forestry to give scorched woodlands a second chance from above.

Despite anti-discrimination laws, some employers are still finding ways to cut ties with their pregnant employees.

For a generation, activists have built their protest movement on the scientific facts of climate change. But the facts of another kind of science — neuroscien

Many organizations are accepting donations for California wildfire victims and first responders, making it easy for you to help.

Bakersfield firefighters pull an unresponsive pup from a fire and use a specialized animal oxygen mask to revive him.

Filmmaker Mark Kitchell talks to MNN about the need to understand the birth and life of the green movement in the U.S.

Researchers say the beautiful new flame, inspired by fire tornadoes, may provide an eco-friendly way to clean up oil spills.

Fueled by denatured ethanol, the EcoSmart Fire is a clean, green alternative to traditional fireplaces.

Nonprofit, which monitors the health and safety of animals in the entertainment industry, calls the expose a distortion of the truth.

Your favorite green celeb and mine, Ed Begley Jr., verbally jousted with Fox News guest host Stuart Varney about the science of climate change.

West Virginia U.S. Senate race brings out the guns, not to mention a former president and a former vice presidential candidate.

Avoiding chemical starter logs and gels but not in the mood to go out and gather pine needles? As fireplace season approaches, consider these fume-free fire sta

Is there an eco-friendly fireplace? From pellet stoves to bio-ethanol fireplaces, engineered logs and wood-burning inserts, here's an enviro breakdown.

For wealthy Californian homeowners, extra peace of mind comes with a high price tag.